Saturday, July 26, 2014

That is Wonder Woman. This Amazon looks like she could kick Superman's ass.

That pretty much sums up what I thought when I saw the image released by DC Entertainment of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. I've taken some time to let that photo sink in and I still think that. (Want to know my original thoughts on Gadot's casting and how I'm guessing Wonder Woman will be used in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"? Of course you do! … Then go here.)

Or another way to put it simply — pretty badass, as I told a lifelong Wonder Woman fan today.

Judging the description the Associated Press gave of the very brief — and I mean brief! — footage that director Zack Snyder released today at the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), "Dawn of Justice" also seems to have the potential to be badass.

AP entertainment writer Derrik J. Lang wrote that Batman (Ben Affleck) and Henry Cavill's Superman are "engaged in an epic staring contest" in what he calls "moody, dimly lit footage."Snyder is quoted as calling the following footage as "a little trailer" and "a teeny little thing."

"The moody, dimly lit footage began with a heavily armored Batman pulling off a tarp and turning on the Bat Signal on a rainy rooftop. With glowing eyes, the bulky Batman looked up to the sky to see a steely Superman - his heat vision just beginning to flare up - hovering within the light and looking down at the Dark Knight," according to the brief AP story.

There's nothing else to tell as that's all Snyder showed the comic-con crowd. But thanks to Batman-online.com releasing this image (on the left) on Facebook, we get an idea of what Batman's "glowing eyes" will look like. Keep in mind director Christopher Nolan gave us the similar Batman-with-white-eyes-look during the climax of "The Dark Knight." Now whether Team Snyder sticks with this look throughout "Dawn of Justice" is something else entirely. …

So what's to take away from this footage?

While I don't know if this will be the first time Superman and Batman will meet face to face in "Dawn of Justice," but there's definitely no love lost between the two. It's pretty obvious Supes has a serious head of steam going and likely is peeved — and I mean pissed (!) — about something as he swoops down toward the Dark Knight. I can just imagine the intensity Cavill has in his eyes.

There's no way to know if there was any dialogue in the footage — and I'd bet Snyder and DCE were smart enough not to include anything besides that footage just to get fans talking. (Like I'm doing right now — and I haven't even seen it yet!)

Keep in mind: There's nothing like withholding information, or putting out only a small bit of info, in the entertainment industry to get the water-cooler conversations rolling! So without any dialogue and likely no score, it's impossible to get any context for the obvious tension between the two superheroes. As I've said before, I hope there's more meat to "Dawn of Justice" than just slugfest after slugfest. (Check out my op-ed from one year plus three days ago for what I want to see happen during the film.)

The only other nugget we Batfans got at the SDCC was this profile image of Affleck's Batman (whom fans have taken to calling "Batfleck" — a pretty creative nickname, I have to admit. BTW, I'm totally down with Affleck as Batman — and for the record, I've been on that bandwagon since the controversial decision came down.).

This solemn picture certainly jibes with the kind of Batman who is world weary, jaded and rough around the edges that Snyder had promised. (On the previous version of CCC, I've shared my thoughts on getting the first look at Batfleck and the Batmobile in the Twitter photo Snyder released in mid-May.)

Back to the Big Reveal of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. "Badass" seems to be the overwhelming opinion from what I've read on Facebook about the costume. And that was intended to be the focus of this op-ed, but I got distracted. So anyway. …

This Wonder Woman just screams "ass-kicker." After all, she's a holding a sword. Gadot's expression shows she means business.

Worried about Wonder Woman not having her magic lasso? Don't; it's there. … The lasso is on her belt next to her right hand, the one holding the sword. Don't miss the iconic eagle or the thigh-high boots either.

I'm not surprised the costume is more blood red and a rusty gold than bright red and gold since Cavill's Superman costume also has muted reds and a darker blue.

Everything you need to know about Wonder Woman is right there: There's Gadot's obvious good looks. Equally apparent is she's been working out — and that means Wonder Woman is in fighting shape. With a cinched-in waist, this gladiator-style costume emphasizes the actress's curves. Honestly, I was as concerned as other fans who were worried Gadot doesn't have the bod to be Wonder Woman. It looks like she's more than put the wonder in this Wonder Woman. Just sayin'!

One of the followers on my professional Facebook page ("Cary Ashby - reporter & comic book blogger") couldn't tell if Gadot was wearing heels and added "that sucks if she does." CCC readers, I'll tell you what I told him: "I'm sure the outfit does include heels. But seeing pics of her at the con, she is almost as tall as Henry Cavill. I can't imagine Gadot NOT wearing heels as Wonder Woman's boots have always had them."

(Did you notice those same boots have a stripe down the front just like in the comics? Fangasm! And what does Gadot's height have to do with anything? Easy: It means the first cinematic Wonder Woman can stand up to DC's other Big Two. Literally. Another fangasm! … I'm spent, so let's wrap this up.)

DC, you did this SDCC presentation right. You got fans talking by including three key elements: The director revealed some much anticipated footage — but not too much!; Snyder gave fans a doozie of a Big Reveal; and the stars made an appearance.

All this will have tongues wagging for quite some time. In the meantime, Snyder and his cast and crew get onto more important things — concentrating on the movie.